Drop-foot brace



S. GIAMBRA DROP-FOOT BRACE July 5, 1955 INVENTOR. STEPHEN G/HMBPH United States Patent 0 DROP-FOOT BRACE Stephen Giambra, Paterson, N. J., assiguor to Cosmo L, Invidiato, Paterson, N. J.

Application August 24, 1953, Serial No. 376,099

6 Claims. (Cl. 128-..-80)

This invention relates to a brace adapted to be worn by a person afflicted with drop-foot, whereby such person may walk or engage in other similar activities in a nearly normal manner.

In certain types of injuries to the foot and ankle, as for instance, poliomyelitis, in which the nerves and muscles controlling the foot have been injured or have deteriorated, there is a tendency for the forward part of the foot to drop down and in, the person having lost the ability to raise the forward part of the foot. A Pearson thus inflicted 3 m wel s n rmall heesuse, h first must engage the toe of the afilicted foot with the ground or fi e he ai e h teen w eh its. ele a heel will then engage the floor squarely. it he were not to do this, the toe would be, of course, in eiteot, stnbbed, and the person would fall. The walking gait of FQh a person unaided by any brace to overcome the tendency of the foot to drop, is, therefore, very halting, awkward, and slow.

Braces have been devised in the past to overcome the tendency of such foot to drop, but some ot them have been heavy, cumbersome, and not readily adjustable. Other droprtoot braces, wherein the leg embracing portion thereof is connected to the shoe, have been reasonably light and easily adjusted. In sueh braces, however, the shoe, in etfeot, becomes an integral part of e brace, the hee usua heih th Patien s hee which has been altered to connect it to the other parts of the brace. Such braces are not sold as finished articles, the assembly of thern with the shoe being made for each particular patient. 1f complete eemhihetieh s ee and e her hr lee arts. were ma up for stock, twice as many (letts and rights) braces as there are sizes, styles, and colors of shoes would have to be carried in stock.

The drop-foot brace of the present invention provides a simple, economical brace which is adaptabl'efor use with the right or left leg without structural change, either in the brace parts or the patients s lower part of the present brace fits within the, patients, shoe and acts as an at least partial insole therefor, preferably being of such size relative to the shoe as to fit a considerable range of shoes of various sizes, and to be received in either the right or left shoe. The brace is readily us l a Is he eet-fi ies tehsieh xerted thereby. A relatively small part of the brace is visible 6 n the s s r e s hehse et lea. he i ets s e e v e uppe hd ower hl ae bs ts ie e qse. to n generally e call helew h i et l. axi of. he ankle of the wearer, so that there is no. tendency ot the h s to impede h mi f the f a he o e than the e -l ftin efle of the a e The h see o the invention u e is des eh hhpre ed. s m l fies connection between the vertical leg-paralleling parts of the brace and the upper, leg embracing member thereof.

The h eh eh h s m n it ehi e s t e r r s e of a novel, s m hl e sud li h eee is; a (h -test t allow n a o al usage e fihe ee ha let hee 2,712,310 1C6 Patented July 5, 1 955 icted, one size of brace being capable of use hy persons having an appreciable range of toot sizes.

A further object of the invention resides in the pro.- vision of such brace wherein the lower, foot-engaging portionof the brace removably fits within the patients shoe, such lower portion of the brace preferably being of'such size as to fit a reasonable range of shoe to fit within right and left-hand shoes, and wh I, M pivotal anis between the upper and lower parts or th brace lies close to the pivotal axis of the angle of the wearer. j i

Yet another object of the invention resides in the provision, in a drop-foot brace of the type novel, simple, and easily adjusted means f9 foot-raising tension on the foot. j

Still another object of the inven ion resides vision, in a drop-foot; brace of the type indi or M improved, simplified detachable connection between he vertical, leg-paralleling, members of the brace leg embracing member at the top of vert cal members.

My invention is clearly defined in the appended claims. Where parts are for clarity and convenience reier on the basis of their oriented position shown i accompanying drawings, no limitation as to the posit n ing of the structure is to be implied, since it"will he understood that the leg of the patient and the dro foot brace of the invention'placed thereon ma p in any position. Also, in both the descript n and the claims parts at times may be identified byv r for clarity and convenience, but no to be understood as having'the broadest 1 u sistent with the context and with the concept of invention as distinguished from the pertinent prior The best form in which I have contempl my invention is illustrated in the accompany forming part of this specification, in which;

Fig. l is a view in side elevation of th rage ni th invention applied to. a leg of a patient.

B g- 2 is an e e v .a me a y ne PI$Be tire of the lower end of the brace with the sho kj it is mounted being shown in dotted linesf Fig. 3, is. an exploded frag 'entaryvie of one io nt be ween h uppe Pa t he w Peri i th; brace. 7

F g- 4 i an e l ed m n a y e in. ide e tion of the leg embracing member of the age vicinity of the detachable joint between an upper bra member and the leg embracing member. In such vi 7, a p rt f t e t r ay of t Poc et of t e l e bracing member is broken away for clarity of illustration.

The'brace of the invention comprises two. vertical allel upper bracemembers 1i) and 10', such member sheih made, Q r l ent e M mbe 10m 10' are ount d, a ndic t on pp sit de o the low par of the leg, the upper ends of such members being oon-.., nected by the leg embracing member 11;. The conn 'tion between the members. 10- and 10 and the leg. em bracing member 11 is shown more clearly in Big. 4. There are provided oppositely disposed pocketsll (one, n) n member 1. t ppek ts' e ngm d be tween the outer layer ofmaterial on member 11 and the. er e hpe hm ve 4 l yers 14. be n ee -t es? s membe 1 b e es ws of itchin .5 hich extend along the sides, and horizontal row of stitching 15' which extends along the top of the layer 1,4 so, to te as op n hemm nee i erme a e he vertical rows of stitching 15 there is located a furth r. "er esl new f i e ih 16 he on of which s a hh al stashed resh the t p ew of hih 5 19 of such horizontal extent that it may be thrust upwardly between the forward row of stitching and the intermediate row of stitching 16, and of such vertical exteht that its end clears end 17 of stitching 16, a downward pull on the member 10 then causing the hook 19 to engage over the top 17 of stitching 16 to secure the upper brace member to the leg embracing member 11. To the lower ends of the upper brace members 16 and 10T there is secured the lower brace member which is designated as a whole by the reference character 2%. Member 20 has a thin cushion member as of leather or sponge rubber 22 overlying the stirrup-like metal portion 21 thereof. The member 20, which forms a partial insole for the shoe 27, has the forward or toe portion'24 and the rear or heel portion 25. The heel portion 25 is rounded as shown so as to fit within the heelportion of the upper of the shoe. The member 20 is of such width that it may fit within a reasonable range of sizes of shoes, either lefts or rights, without binding within the shoe. Member 20 is of considerable length, but the forward portion 24 thereof preferably extends only to substantially the midportion of the forward part of the sole or ball of the foot.

The foot pivots with respect to the lower leg generally about an axis coincident with what is called the ankle bone. Such ankle bone is made up of an inner prominence, the internal malleolus, on the lower end of the tibia, and an outer prominence, the external malleolus, on the lower end of the fibula. It will be assumed that the leg shown in Fig. 1 is a right leg of a patient, and that the prominence 26 of the ankle bone is the external malleolus, the pivotal axis of the foot substan* tially coinciding with the center of such prominence. The joint between each of the upper brace parts 10 and 10' and the lower brace part 20 is designed to lie close to the pivotal axis of the ankle but a small distance substantially vertically beneath it. Such joints between each of the upper brace parts 10 and 10 and the lower brace part 20 are, in this instance, mirror images of each other. In Fig. 3 the joint 28 between parts 10 and 20 is illustrated in detail.

On each side of the metal body 21 of the lower brace part 20, in a location to lie generally beneath the prominences of the ankle, the body 21 is provided with an upwardly extending flange 29, the upper end of which extends outwardly at 30, the flange then continuing downwardly at 31, as shown. An outwardly facing stud, generally designated 32, is secured at its inner end to the central portion of the downwardly extending flange 31.

Such stud has a smooth cylindrical portion 34 adjacent t the flange 31, such smooth portion fitting within the center 39 of the flat spring 37 formed at the bottom end of the member 10 to furnish a bearing journal for the spring. On its outer end the stud 32 is formed with a squared portion 35 and with a centrally located threaded 1 hole 36.

As indicated, the flat spring 37 lies in the vertical plane containing the brace member 10, the two such planes for each of members 10 and 10' being substantially vertical and parallel. The inner end of the spring 37 is formed with an inwardly directed tang 40, which may be introduced into any one of the holes 41, 42, 43, and 44, angularly spaced about the center of stud 32 in the flange 31. When the tang 40 is introduced into hole 41, the brace exerts a minimum foot-lifting force, and when the tang is introduced into hole 44 it produces a maximum foot-lifting force. After the spring has been mounted on the stud 32, with the tang 40 in the appropriate one of the holes 41-44, inclusive, the retaining plate 45 is placed over the spring with the squared portion 35 of the stud received in the central square hole 46 in the plate. The plate 45 is retained in place by the machine screw 47 which is threadedly received in the threaded hole 36 in the stud 42.

' The turns of the spring 37 are spaced appreciably from each other,-as shown. When the toe of the foot moves downward the spring is wound up to some extent, the unwinding of the spring furnishing the described footlifting eflect of the brace. Obviously when tang 40 is located in hole 44 the spring, in effect, is initially wound to a tighter degree than when tang 49 is in hole 41. Although some flexing of the members 10 and 10' above the springs thereon occurs when the foot is turned, the location and configuration of the springs cause most of the resilient deformation of such members to take place in their spring ends, wherein the deformation is spread out over an appreciable length of spring wire. The main vertical extents of members 10 and 10', therefore, remain substantially straight regardless of the degree of tipping of the foot about its axis at the ankle.

Whereas for purposes of illustration I have shown and described a preferred embodiment of the drop-foot brace of my invention, it will be understood that the invention is not limited to such disclosed embodiment, since it is capable of considerable variation in details. The invention is, therefore, to be defined by the scope of the claims appended hereto.

I claim as new the following:

1. A drop-foot brace, comprising a pair of spaced parallel elongated upper brace members adapted to lie along opposite sides of the lower part of the leg, at least one of the upper brace members being in the form of an elongated resilient wire, means connecting the upper portions of the upper brace members together, and for embracing, and fastening said upper brace members to, the leg, an elongated lower brace member in the form of a removable insole for a shoe, said lower brace memher having a heel end and a toe end, and means connecting the lower end of each of the upper brace members to the respective one of the opposite sides of the lower brace member along an axis close to and in substantially vertical alignment with the pivotal axis of the ankle of the wearer, the lower end of the upper brace member made of wire being formed into a flat coil spring, the spring and its upper brace member lying substantially in a vertical plane which is parallel to the longitudinal axis of the lower brace member, means pivotally connecting the spring at its center to the lower brace memher, and means connecting the inner end of the spring to the lower brace member so as resiliently to oppose tilting of the toe end of the lower brace member downwardly with respect to the upper brace members.

2. A drop-foot brace, comprising a pair of spaced parallel elongated resilient upper brace members adapted to lie along opposite sides of the lower part of the leg, means connecting the upper ends of the upper brace members together and for embracing, and fastening said upper brace members to, the leg, an elongated lower brace member in theform of a removable insole for a shoe, said lower brace member having a toe and a heel portion at opposite ends thereof, the lower brace member having upwardly and then outwardly and downwardly extending flange portions on opposite sides thereof generally in a location close to and generally vertically aligned with the pivotal axis of the ankle of the wearer, the upwardly and downwardly extending parts of the respective flanges being spaced from each other to receive therebetween the upper sides of the shoe of the wearer, and means connecting the lower end of each of the upper brace members to the respectiveone of the downwardly extending parts of the flanges of the lower brace member along an axis below the pivotal axis of the ankle of the wearer, at least one of the connections between the upper and lower brace members comprising a flat coil spring integral with its respective upper brace member, the spring and its upper brace member lying substantially in a vertical plane generally parallel ,to the longitudinal axis of the lower brace member, said last named connection comprising an outwardly directed stud on the downwardly extending portion of its respective flange, the

stud lying within the center of the spring to furnish a pivotal support therefor, and means connecting the inner end of the spring to the lower brace member so as resiliently to oppose tilting of the toe portion of the lower brace member downwardly with respect to the upper brace members.

3. A drop-foot brace, comprising a pair of spaced parallel elongated resilient upper brace members adapted to lie along opposite sides of the lower part of the leg, means connecting the upper ends of the upper brace members together and for embracing, and fastening said upper brace members to, the leg, an elongated lower brace member in the form of a removable insole for a shoe, said lower brace member having a toe and a heel portion at opposite ends thereof, the lower brace member having upwardly and then outwardly and downwardly extending flange portions on opposite sides thereof generally in a location close to and generally vertically below the pivotal axis of the ankle of the wearer, the upwardly and downwardly extending parts of the respective flanges being spaced from each other to receive therebetween the upper sides of the shoe of the wearer, and means connecting the lower end of each of the upper brace members to the respective one of the downwardly extending parts of the flanges of the lower brace member, each of the connections between the upper and lower brace members comprising a flat coil spring integral with the upper brace member, each of the springs and its upper brace member lying substantially in a vertical plane, the planes being generally parallel to each other and to the longitudinal axis of the lower brace member, an outwardly directed stud on each of the downwardly extending portions of the flanges, the stud lying within the center of the spring to furnish a pivotal support therefor, and means connecting the inner end of the spring to the lower brace member so as resiliently to oppose tilting of the toe portion of the lower brace member downwardly with respect to the upper brace members.

4. A drop-foot brace, comprising a pair of spaced parallel elongated resilient upper brace members adapted to lie along opposite sides of the lower part of the leg, means connecting the upper ends of the upper brace members together and for embracing, and fastening said upper brace members to, the leg, an elongated lower brace member in the form of a removable insole for a shoe, said lower brace member having a toe and a heel portion at opposite ends thereof, the lower brace member having upwardly and then outwardly and downwardly extending flange portions on opposite sides thereof generally in a location close to and generally vertically below the pivotal axis of the ankle of the wearer, the upwardly and downwardly extending parts of the respective flanges being spaced from each other to receive therebetween the upper sides of the shoe of the wearer, and means connecting the lower end of each of the upper brace members to the respective one of the downwardly extending parts of the flanges of the lower brace member, each of the connections between the upper and lower brace members comprising a flat coil spring integral with the upper brace member, each of the springs and its upper brace member lying substantially in a vertical plane, the planes being generally parallel to each other and to the longitudinal axis of the lower brace member, an outwardly directed stud on each of the downwardly extending portions of the flanges, the stud lying within the center of the spring to furnish a pivotal support therefor, and means connecting the inner end of the spring to the lower brace member so as resiliently to oppose tilting of the toe portion of the lower brace member downwardly with respect to the upper brace members, said last named means comprising an inwardly directed tang on the inner end of the spring, a series of holes in the downwardly directed part of the flange angularly spaced about the stud selectively to receive said tang, and means for retaining the tang in a selected hole in the flange.

5. A drop-foot brace, comprising at least one elongated upper brace member adapted to lie along the side of the lower part of the leg, means for embracing, and detachably fastening said upper brace member to, the leg, the leg embracing member having a downwardly open pocket for receiving the upper end of the upper brace member, said pocket having a narrow transverse abutment member spaced from the sides thereof, a downwardly directed hook on the upper end of the upper brace member, said hook member being received in the pocket and engaged over the abutment member therein, a lower brace member in the form of a removable insole for the shoe, said lower brace member having a heel end and a toe end, and means connecting the lower end of the upper brace member to a side of the lower brace member, said last named means comprising means allowing pivoting of the lower brace member with respect to the upper brace member and resiliently opposing tilting of the toe end of the lower brace member downwardly with respect to the upper brace member.

6. A drop-foot brace, comprising a pair of spaced parallel elongated resilient upper brace members adapted to lie along opposite sides of the lower part of the leg, means connecting the upper ends of the upper brace members together and for embracing, and fastening said upper brace members to, the leg, an elongated lower brace member in the form of a removable insole for a shoe, said lower brace member having a toe and a heel portion at opposite ends thereof, the lower brace member having upwardly and then outwardly and downwardly extending flange portions on opposite sides thereof generally in a location close to and generally vertically below the pivotal axis of the angle of the wearer, the upwardly and downwardly extending parts of the respective flanges being spaced from each other to receive therebetween the upper sides of the shoe of the wearer, and means connecting the lower end of each of the upper brace members to the respective one of the downwardly extending parts of the flanges of the lower brace member, said last named means comprising means allowing pivoting of the lower brace member with respect to the upper brace members and resiliently opposing tilting of the toe portion of the lower brace member downwardly with respect to the upper brace members.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,516,872 Hauser et al. Aug. 1, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS 961,981 France Feb. 24, 1948 

